ܠܝܬ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Etymology

From Aramaic לֵית (layt), a contraction equivalent to ܠܵܐ (lā, “not”) +‎ ܐܝܼܬ݂ (īṯ, “there is/are”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard) IPA^(key): [layt.]
• (Barwari) IPA^(key): [liːθ.]
• (Urmia) IPA^(key): [lit.]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [leːθ.]

Adverb

ܠܲܝܬ • (layt)

1. there is/are not

   ܠܲܝܬ ܘܲܪܕܵܐ ܓܵܘ ܓܲܢܬܵܐ. ― layt wardā gāw gantā. ― There is not a rose in the garden.

   ܠܲܝܬ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܪܵܒܵܐ ܐ݇ܢܵܫܹ̈ܐ ܠܫܘܼܩܵܐ. ― layt wā rābā nāšē l-šūqā. ― There was not many people at the market.

2. to not have [with ܠ- (l-)]

   ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ ܟܲܠܒ݂ܵܐ. ― layt lī kalḇā. ― I do not have a dog (literally, “There is not to me a dog.”)

   ܠܲܝܬ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܚܲܕ݇ܟ̰ܵܐ ܙܘܼܙܹ̈ܐ. ― layt wā lī ḥačā zūzē. ― I did not have some money. (literally, “There was not to me some money.”)

   1. to not be (years) old [+ ܠ- (l-) (age)]

      ܠܲܝܬ ܠܹܗ ܬܡܵܢܲܥܸܣܪܹܐ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐ. ― layt lēh tmānaˁisrē šinnē. ― He is not eighteen years old. (literally, “There isn't to him eighteen years.”)

3. to not have (a characteristic or internal or inherent feature) [with ܒ- (b-)]
   1. to not be able to, to be impossible [with ܒ- (b-)]

      ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼ ܙܵܡܪܹܢ. ― layt bī zāmrēn. ― I cannot sing (literally, “There isn’t in me to sing.”)

      ܠܲܝܬ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܘܼܟ݂ ܕܙܵܡܪܹܬ. ― layt wā būḵ dzāmrēt. ― You couldn’t sing (literally, “There wasn’t in you to sing.”)

4. to not be bothered [+ ܓܵܘ (gāw)]]

   ܠܲܝܬ ܓܵܘܝܼ ܕܟܵܬ݂ܒ݂ܹܢ ܗܵܕ݂ܹܐ ܐܸܓܲܪܬܵܐ. ― layt gāwī dkāṯḇēn hāḏē iggartā. ― I can't be bothered to write this letter. (literally, “There isn't inside me to write this letter.”)

5. to not care, to not mind [+ ܠ- (l-) + attached pronoun + ܓܵܘ (gāw) + attached pronoun]]

   ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ ܓܵܘܹܗ ― layt lī gāwēh ― I do not care about him.

Usage notes

• (to have, to be possible): While ܠܲܝܬ (layt) is an adverb, it is used in much the same way as a present-tense verb. Its corresponding past tense is expressed by ܠܲܝܬ (layt) + ܗ݇ܘܵܐ/ܗ݇ܘܵܘ (wā) and its future tense is expressed by ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ (bit hāwē)/ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܝܵܐ (bit hāwyā)/ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܝܼ (bit hāwī); followed by its suffixes agreeing with the subject in person, gender, and number.
• “I do not have” in English may be translated with either ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ (layt lī) or ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼ (layt bī) depending on context. For “I do not have” in the sense of owning an item or other possession, physical or not, metaphorical or true, the form ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ (layt lī, literally “There is not to me”) is used. In all other contexts of “I do not have,” the form ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼ (layt bī, literally “There is not in me”) is used. In some contexts, it is possible to use both forms with difference in meaning, for example: ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ ܣܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ ― layt lī saḇrā ― I do not possess hope., ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼ ܣܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ ― layt bī saḇrā ― There is no hope in me.

Inflection

Inflections of ܠܲܝܬ ܠ- (layt l-) and ܠܲܝܬ ܒ- (layt b-)
Base Forms ܠܲܝܬ ܠ-			ܠܲܝܬ ܠ- (layt l-)	Variant Forms ܠܲܝܬ ܒ-			ܠܲܝܬ ܒ- (layt b-)
Personal-pronoun including forms	singular		plural	Personal-pronoun including forms	singular		plural
	m	f			m	f
1st person	ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ (layt lī)		ܠܲܝܬ ܠܲܢ (layt lan)	1st person	ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼ (layt bī)		ܠܲܝܬ ܒܲܢ (layt ban)
2nd person	ܠܲܝܬ ܠܘܼܟ݂ (layt lūḵ)	ܠܲܝܬ ܠܵܟ݂ܝ (layt lāḵ)	ܠܲܝܬ ܠܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (layt lāwḵōn)	2nd person	ܠܲܝܬ ܒܘܼܟ݂ (layt būḵ)	ܠܲܝܬ ܒܵܟ݂ܝ (layt bāḵ)	ܠܲܝܬ ܒܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (layt bāwḵōn)
3rd person	ܠܲܝܬ ܠܹܗ (layt lēh)	ܠܲܝܬ ܠܵܗ̇ (layt lāh)	ܠܲܝܬ ܠܗܘܿܢ (layt lhōn)	3rd person	ܠܲܝܬ ܒܹܗ (layt bēh)	ܠܲܝܬ ܒܵܗ̇ (layt bāh)	ܠܲܝܬ ܒܗܘܿܢ (layt bhōn)

Derived terms

• ܠܲܝܬܵܝܘܼܬ݂ܵܐ (laytāyūṯā, “non-existence”)
• ܠܲܝܬܵܝܵܐ (laytāyā, “non-existent”)
• ܡܠܲܝܬܹܐ (mlaytē, “to annihilate”)

 

Classical Syriac

Etymology

A contraction of ܠܐ (lā, “not”) +‎ ܐܝܬ (ʾīṯ, “there is/are”); compare Aramaic לֵית (lêṯ).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key): [ˈlajt]
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈlajt]
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈlɑjt]

Verb

ܠܝܬ • (layt) (peal construction (irregular))

1. there is/are no/not
2. to be not
3. (with ܠ- (lə-)) to have no/not
4. (with ܠ- (lə-) or ܕ- (də-)) to be not possible, not allowable; must not

Usage notes

This word does not inflect like a regular verb. It mostly occurs as an uninflected particle, though it can take type-II suffixes (as certain prepositions or plural nouns), agreeing with the subject in person, gender, and number. Its past tense is expressed by a following ܗܘܐ ([hə]wā), inflected in the third person and agreeing with the subject in gender and number.

Antonyms

• ܐܝܬ (ʾīṯ)

Derived terms

• ܠܝܬܝܐ (laytāyā, “non-existent”)
• ܠܝܬܝܘܬܐ (laytāyūṯā, “non-existence”)
• ܡܠܝܬܝܢܐ (məlaytəyānā, “annihilating”)
• ܡܠܝܬܝܢܘܬܐ (məlaytəyānūṯā, “annihilation”)

 

References

• “lyt”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2021-07-17
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 172b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 241b-242a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 689b